SO MUCH PRETTY

At the beginning of this unusual and compelling book, Aimee Bruneau struggles a little with the emphases of sentences, a weakness that is occasionally distracting. As the story gathers power, though, she drops into gear, and narrator and story become a thrilling combination. At first, the book seems another version of an oft-told tale: the small- town murder of a young woman, possibly serial. But Hoffman has a different design in mind, an original device made of familiar parts, prejudice against educated outsiders and a young woman journalist crusading against misogyny and worse. These elements work together in quite unexpected ways and rachet toward a stunning climax. Bruneau effectively builds sympathy for her characters and sustains the listener’s deftly managed misapprehension about where the plot is going. B.G. © AudioFile 2011, Portland, Maine [Published: MAY 2011]